Deans says what scientists really need are some well-controlled clinical trials to see how ketogenic diets impact people over the long term. She has hopes they might one day help some of her patients, who suffer from things like bipolar disorder and PTSD. But getting people to participate in a trial that takes away things that help to cope with their diseases—like candy and other pleasure-center-hitting foods—is no small task. That’s something Verdin has thought about too. Which is why his lab is already moving forward to capture the protective effects of ketogenic diets in something more palatable: a pill.

They’ve begun synthesizing precursors to BHB and feeding them to mice. After following the rodents for a few years, they'll look to see if the molecule on its own provides the same protective effects as an all-Crisco diet. If it works, clinical trials would be next. And unlike a diet, which can't be patented or easily monetized, a supplement could be something pharma companies (and bread-lovers) can get behind.

Yep. Just thinking that if the mouse results are at all favorable then they are likely to try a human trial because there is so much money in anything that can be associated with weight control/weight loss.

It's pretty cool they can put stuff in a pill and make it do some magic in the human body. However, if we wait a little longer, we'll have nanobots, AI analysis, en even genetic engineering. How cool is that?

[Except for the huge moral consequences and all worse case scenarios one can think of.]